Andy Atkeson wins the Warren C. Scoville Distinguished Teaching Award

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February 2, 2021

As UCLA continued to teach remotely for Fall 2020, our faculty continued to adapt their teaching methods to provide a high level of education to our students. We are very thankful to have the prestigious and innovative faculty that we have. We want to give a big congratulations to Andy Atkeson—the winner of the Warren C. Scoville Distinguished Teaching Award for best undergraduate teaching in Fall 2020.

Andy Atkeson won this award while teaching ECON 167 and Econ 188M courses. Econ 167-Victims and Villians; Panics and Bubble-focuses on the phenomena of panics, bubbles, and manias in financial history. Students have an in-depth analysis and discussions of underlying causes, private and public policy responses, similarities, and contemporary issues in today’s financial landscape.  This course also covers five many financial crises: panic of 1907, Great Depression, Japanese real estate and stock market bubbles of 1980s, American banking crises of 1980s, and Asian Contagion of late 1990s. Students read case studies relating to each, and more general related readings including speeches, papers, and articles.

Econ 188M-Practicum in Social Entrepreneurship-offers students full-scale immersion into challenges of launching social enterprise. Students work in teams alongside staff of local nonprofit organizations in 10-week social enterprise accelerator program aimed at helping participating organizations secure financial and operational resources they need to implement social enterprise for which viable business plan has already been constructed. Students meet assigned organization, study its business plan, and work with instructors of course and staff of nonprofit organization to develop tailored plan of work for 10-week accelerator program. Students carry out work in conjunction with staff of organization under supervision of instructors and with assistance of experienced entrepreneur volunteer mentors.

Warren C. Scoville was a faculty member for the UCLA Department of Economics for 28 years before his death in 1969.  This award is given quarterly in his name to the ladder faculty member who receives the highest teaching evaluation scores from his or her course.